


Untying

by Chicory



Series: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [9]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Chapter Coda, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27746059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chicory/pseuds/Chicory
Summary: A coda to chapter seventeen: The Heir of Slytherin.
Series: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1902802
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Untying

**Author's Note:**

> The last coda for book two! This is basically a bunch of headcanons about the events from Ginny's point of view because the thought amused me. I'm not quite happy with this -- not like I ever am with anything I've written -- because I had such a hard time getting this done. For some reason writing Dumbledore was a lot easier.

Her mum wouldn't stop fussing over her. Ginny sat on the edge of the hospital bed, holding a mug of hot chocolate loosely between her knees. Molly alternatively petted her damp, tangled hair, or fluffed her pillows, or teared up as she looked at her. Ginny put up with it patiently because there was nothing else she could do.

After Madam Pomfrey revived the other kids, they all went off to the feast. Molly tried to get Ginny to go as well, but quickly gave up when she made her eyes wide and anxious and plaintively claimed she was tired.

And she was tired. She hadn't realised how much energy Tom would need from her, and she hadn't exactly got it back after Harry had somehow vanquished him.

The thought of that, how far he'd gone just for her, still made her skin warm. From the start, Ginny had known they were meant to be together. After all, for the entire year she'd done everything just for Harry as well.

It wasn't like she'd really wanted to hurt anyone. She'd just -- she'd wanted to protect him. All sorts of nuisances flocked to him because he was the Boy Who Lived, and her Harry was so kind and noble and valiant he couldn't tell off even the likes of Draco Malfoy. He'd needed Ginny to get rid of the problems around him, for his own good.

Tom had understood. He'd understood her like no one else ever had. Ginny still remembered that first night, how angry she'd been at the way Filch had dared to try to punish Harry as if he had the authority or the right. Or Creevey who wouldn't stop stalking Harry, taking his pictures without his permission and making him uncomfortable. Or Finch-Fletchley who'd accused Harry of being the heir of Slytherin, as if her Harry could ever be anything hateful like that. Or Hermione who was in the way of her and Harry, and wouldn't stop poking her nose into things that didn't concern her.

 _I know how you can get rid of them_ , Tom had said. _I did it myself, back when I was a student. You won't even be hurting them. All you have to do is make sure they don't look at her directly in the eyes_.

But then Tom'd wanted to go after Harry, too. When Ginny had tried to get rid of the diary, she'd never thought Harry would find it. She didn't know what he'd done in a girls' toilet, but she couldn't have let him keep the diary. She'd been terrified that Tom would tell him everything, her every secret. She'd done it all for Harry but she -- she wasn't sure he'd understand.

Tom hadn't told Harry, though. Not even when he'd finally got to meet him face to face in the Chamber. Ginny had been drifting in and out of consciousness, but she'd heard the lie after lie he'd told Harry to hide her part in the events of the past year.

At that memory, Ginny felt a twinge of regret that Harry'd had to vanquish him. Even after she'd tried to flush his diary down the toilet, he'd still helped her for one last time.

But Tom had always been kind in his own way to those who'd showed him loyalty.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, if anyone did :)


End file.
